Vaccination against COVID-19 during Pregnancy and Lactation : An Overview

Pandemic of SARS2- COVID 19 has caused disastrous impact globally in terms of sickness, deaths, and overburden on heath infrastructure, employment, economy and psychological health. All countries are affected, to greater or lesser degree; be it from developed, developing or under-developed region. Pregnancy has been identified as one of the risk factor for severe COVID 19 illness by CDC. About two-thirds of women who test positive for COVID 19 have no symptoms. But the data suggest that symptomatic pregnant patient with COVID 19 are at increased risk of more severe illness as well as have increased risk for ICU admission, ventilator support and deaths in comparison to their symptomatic non-pregnant peers Pregnant patients with co-morbidities such as obesity and diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and asthma are further at higher risk of getting serious illness .Pregnant woman’s Age above 35 years and pregnancy above 28 weeks makes women more at risk of severe COVID illness. Stillbirths and pre-term births are twice high in pregnant women with COVID -19 sickness as compared to pregnant women without COVID-19 infection. Ethnicity has also been found to affect the severity of COVID 19 illness. It has been found that Black and Hispanic pregnant women had disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 infection and death Further risk of ICU admission were higher in pregnant Asian, and Native Hawaiian /Pacific Islander women.

Searching beyond the Lamppost to Reduce Breast Cancer Disparities

Racial and ethnic differences in breast cancer occur by race/ethnicity in both incidence and mortality rates. Women of lower socioeconomic status likewise have poorer outcomes. When race alone is considered, incidence rates in the United States are highest among White women (130.8 per 100,000), with Black women close behind (126.7 per 100,000). Incidence is lowest among Asian/Pacific Islander women, at 93.2 per 100,000. Mortality differences are more pronounced, with Black women 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women (28.4 per 100,000 and 20.3 per 100,000, respectively). Mortality rates for Asian/Pacific Islander women (11.5 per 100,000) are far lower than for Black and White women. When age is considered, additional differences between Black and White women appear, in part accounted for by types of breast cancer experienced. Women of other racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic status have received less scientific attention. In this article, we provide a brief overview of the evidence for social determinants of breast cancer and argue that the current reliance on race over racism and ethnicity contributes to our inability to eliminate breast cancer disparities in the United States and elsewhere in the world. We suggest alternatives to the current approach to research in breast cancer disparities.

The Essence of Asian Pacific Islander Women Leadership

While the topics of transforming higher education, social justice, leadership, and the various factors impacting leadership have been extensively studied and examined, little research exists regarding the experiences and leadership styles of Asian Pacific Islander (API) women as it relates to these topics. The authors aspire in this chapter to address this research gap by offering insights and perspectives as API women and senior-level student affairs professionals. Understanding that there is a correlation between ethnic identity and leadership style, the authors provide their experience and stories of how they have been shaped as leaders and how their leadership contributes to the transformation of higher education in today's contested times.